Call for Papers, The US Military Presence in Northern Ireland during the Second World War' (CFP)

A call for papers has been issued for 'The US Military Presence in Northern Ireland during the Second World War,' a conference hosted by The US Rangers Museum, Carrickfergus and Northern Ireland War Memorial, Belfast on 29th - 30th September 2017. Deadline: 14 July 2017.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of American forces to our shores. In January 1942, after the attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor the previous month, American soldiers started arriving in Northern Ireland as they waited to be deployed for Allied counter-attacks in Europe and North Africa. More than 300,000 soldiers were stationed here during the conflict to Europe and Africa, officially arriving at Belfast docks on January 26, 1942. US army HQ was at Brownlow House in Lurgan, under the command of Major General Russell P. Hartle, who appointed his aide-de-camp Major William O. Darby to form the 1st Battalion US Rangers at Carrickfergus in June 1942.

This event seeks to foster relationships with other institutions, practitioners as well as academics who have an interest in the US forces in Northern Ireland during WWII. The conference will seek to explore the history of the GIs' time in the province. We wish to examine how the US Forces in Northern Ireland (in particular the Rangers and the US Marine Corps) adopted and developed the British Commando raiding techniques for their own very different purposes. We aim to provide an opportunity for academics to explore aspects of the US presence that have been underrepresented in the literature regarding this part of Northern Irish history, with the aim of producing a published output. It is also an opportunity for institutions with links to this field to take part as we seek to discuss how and why we present the stories we tell to our visitors.

Papers will be 20 minutes long. Please submit proposals of no more than 300 words to shirin.murphy@midandeastantrim.gov.uk no later than Friday 14th July 2017. Acceptance of papers will be confirmed by 21st July 2017.